URBAN ISSUESIs There a Summer Music Festival Bubble?
Sustainable Cities Collective
If you haven't already, grab your feather earrings and fanny pack, because we're deep into summer music festival season. Like you could've already seen Vampire Weekend at five different festivals across the country deep.

I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico, a high desert city that has, among other things to commend it, four different seasons. Living there taught me the value of a car. Like water, a car in the dessert is power; a car allows one to cover large distances quickly and in comfort. In Albuquerque driving was a way of life... Read On

Riding the Rail Runner Express commuter train between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is a distinctly New Mexican experience.As soon as the train doors close with a "Looney Toons"-style Road Runner "meep meep" chime, the crew warns passengers not to snap photos out of the windows because the train will soon cross the Tewa Pueblo and other sacred Native American lands in the Rio Grande Valley... Read On

When SA sent me a link to an article about a large "new urbanist" development planned for the suburbs of Albuquerque, I was instinctively skeptical. I like cities, personally, but I try not to let that cloud my judgment to much... Read On

"Every six years, Congress rewrites the rules for how our federal transportation dollars are spent, and this time I — like many others — want to see something different," writes Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith in an Op-Ed article in the Albuquerque Journal. "Americans in communities of all sizes are eager to expand our options and make sure that our existing roads and bridges are repaired and safe. A recent poll found that 82 percent of Americans believe "the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved transportation system, such as rail and buses." Seventy-nine percent of rural voters agreed as well, even though fewer actually have access to public transportation services. Majorities also want to see us "fix it first" by rehabilitating and rebuilding our existing roads and bridges before we build a whole lot more." Read the full

Reconnecting America President and CEO will be attending the 8th Biennial New Mexico Governor’s Housing Summit Nov. 3-5 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On Nov 4, he will be participating in a panel discussion on “Transportation Costs: The Backseat Driver of Affordable Housing Economics.” Since 1994, the Governor’s Housing Summit has been the place for housing professionals to meet and explore the many aspects of affordable housing. It’s the perfect venue for New Mexicans to come together to find new and better ways to provide quality, stable housing opportunities for all New Mexicans. This year’s theme, “Reconstruction 2010” will focus on the new face of affordable housing. We will explore the effects of the economic downturn on the housing industry and discuss the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

In 2006, New Mexico Rail Runner launched commuter rail service between Albuquerque and Sandoval County to the north. These days, with a 97-mile rail now open between Belen, south of Albuquerque and Santa Fe to the north, officials are starting to consider transit-oriented development around stations along the rail line....Read On